Thermostatic apparatus.



Patented Feb; 20, I900. I L. MORGENSTERN.

THERIIOSTATIC APPARATUS.

(Application 11166. June 21, 1899.)

4 SheetsSha et I,

(No Model.)

KOTO-LITHQ, WASHING No. 643,880. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

L. MDRGENSTERN. Y

THERIIOSTATIC APPARATUS.

(Application 516d June 21, 1899.)

. {No Model.) I 4 $hBBtS-$h66f 2.

No. 643,880. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

L. MURGENSTERN.

THERMOSTATIG APPARATUS.

I (Application filed June 21, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3,

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUDWIG MORGENSTERN, OF GCTTINGEN, GERMANY.

F THERMOSTATIC APPARATUS.

srnorF'I'oATIoN forming part of Letters Patent 'No. 643,880, dated February 20, 1900. Application filed June Z'l, 1899. Serial No. 721,298. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUDWIG ll/IORGENSTERN, school director, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Gottingen, Germany, have invented an Improvement in Thermostatic Apparatus for Automatically Regulati'ng Heat, of 'which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to thermostats in which a mercury-thermometer is adapted to close an electric circuit to open or close valves, shutters, or the like for either admitting or excluding warm or cold air to or from a room;

- these objects by the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the thermostat embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the suspension of the thermostat. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the electrical contact mechanism of the apparatus. Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of the electrical devices for controlling the heat or vent ducts, together with the circuits leading from the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side view of a part of the electrical devices illustrated in Fig. 5 and showing latch mechanism for maintaining the heat or vent fiues in open position, and Fig. 7 is a view illustrating electrical devices of modified form for operating a valve to control the medium passing through a pipe for heating or ventilating a room in order to keepthe latter at an even and predetermined temperature.

Referring now to the drawings for a further description of my invention, f is a perforated box or housing in which a mercury-thermometer is suspended from a bracket 2' by means of adjusting-screws h, passing through lugs g of the thermometer-frame 6'. This latter consists of uprights and cross-pieces and supports a mercury-thermometer comprising aglass body completely closed and bent in several places and having cylindrical enlarge ments at and b for compressed air and spherical enlargements o and d for mercury. The sphere or ball 0 is in direct communication with the cylindrical enlargements a and b, in which the air contained therein is held under suitable pressure, while the sphere or ball d above the line of mercury is devoid of air. Both of these spheres are com1nunicating,and the connecting-tube e is also filled with mercury. The frame e, with this mercury-thermometer, being suspended from the bracket 11 by means of the screw-points h acts as a pendulum whenever the temperature of a room in which the thermostat is situated changes. The thermostat is adjusted to a certain temperature a room shall maintainfor instance, if the temperature desired is Fahrenheit the air-pressure in the cylinders a and b is sufficient to maintain the mercury in the spheres o and d at the respective centers thereof, when at such temperature the frame 6 will hang perfectly perpendicular. Should the temperature become higher than the normali. e. 65 in the present instance-the air in the cylindrical enlargements a and b will be expanded and cause a displacement of the mercury in the spheres o and d-t'. e., mercury will be forced from the sphere 0 into the sphere cl and cause a tilting of the frame e, the lower end shifting toward the right in Fig. l, and, vice versa, when the temperature is becoming lower than the normal the lower end of the frame e will be shifted toward the left. The rising or falling of. the mercury in one or the other spheres c and d is not only due to the differential air-pressure in the cylindrical enlargements o, and b, which is caused by the change of temperature, but also to the properties of the mercury itself, which expands readily when subjected to heat and contracts when the temperature thereof is lowered, and for this purpose the sphere d is placed higher in elevation than the sphere o in order to produce a long column of mercury in the tube connecting with the sphere d, while the other tube, connecting with the sphere c, is kept as short as possible in order to increase the sensitivity of the thermometer just described.

Onto the lower and middle cross-bars of the frame a is secured a rod 70, extending to the bottom of the box or housing f, where a graduated scale 16 is secured. A pointer 15 is fastened in the lower extremity of the rod k to indicate how much the thermometerframe swings toward the right or left, due to the change in temperature, and this extremity is weighted to insure the return of the frame e to its normal or vertical position as soon as the temperature becomes normal.

The devices for controlling the dampers, valves, or shutters to either admit or exclude heat to or from a room are as follows: On the back of the box or housing'fare secured, by means of brackets q and 2,'the shelves 0 and 13, Figs. 1 and 2, and in the centers of these shelves are trunnioned at A the two vertical swinging levers r and 3, each having a horizontal arm v, adapted to make electrical contact with the springs t and 02, secured to the shelves 0 andp,as will be more fully described.

On the rod is is a sleeve Z, which maybe set at a required height by a set-screw, as shown. This sleeve Z carries two right-angular arms on and 12, adapted to trip the vertical swinging levers 1' and 3 whenever the thermometerframe 8 swings to either the right or left, due to the change in temperature-that is to say, if the temperature becomes lower than the normal (or that to which the thermometer is adjusted) mercury will move from the sphere (Z into the sphere c, the thermometer-frame will swing about its point of suspension (screws it) toward the left, Fig. 1, and the arm on will trip the vertical lever r, causing its horizontal extension 1) to tap the spring t, and, vice versa, if the temperature rises the mercury will flow from sphere 0 into sphere (Z, and the tilting toward the right of the thermometer-frame 6 will be the result, causing the arm n to trip the lever 8, whose horizontal extension '11 will then tap the springer for a purpose to be described. It may here be remarked that the vertical swinging arms 1 and sare balanced and are perfectly vertical when at rest, and the free extremities of the horizontal extensions 11 are somewhat above the respective springs t and 00, so that when the respective lever 0' or s is tripped and its horizontal extension 0) has made contact with its respective spring 25 or w the right-angular arm on or n in the slow return movement of the thermometer-frame e will pass the upper end of the lever 1' or 3 without causing the horizontzgl extension to touch the respective spring as or In Fig. 5 is illustrated a shutter 7, adapted to admit or exclude heat into or from a room, and this shutter or its equivalent is to be operated whenever the temperature in a room changes from the normal. To operate this shutter, two electromagnets 4 and 5 are located at convenient places to the shutter 7,

and a right-angular lever 13, pivoted at 8, is at one of its ends connected with the shutter 7. The other end of this lever 13 carries the armature 12 of the electromagnet 4, which when energized attracts the said armature, and thereby opens the shutter 7. The shutter is maintained open by a detent 10 on the armaturelever 9, trunnioned at 14, and which lever has attached to it the armature 11 of the electromagnet 5, which when energized releases the lever 13 and causes the closing of the shutter 7.

The electromagnets 4 and 5 are included in two circuits and are controlled by the action of the thermometerbefore described. In Figs. 1 and 5 the circuits are illustrated. The circuit for opening the shutter 7, 850., is as follows: A wire leads from a battery, Fig. 5, to a binding-post 1, thence to the contact a, spring t, binding-post 2, to magnet 4, and back to battery, and the other circuit is from battery to post 1, contact w, spring 00, binding-post 3, to magnet 5, and from here by line 6 to battery. Should the temperature surrounding the thermostat become lower than the normal, the horizontal extension a: of the vertical swinging lever 1' will tap the spring 23, which makes contact with the contact-piece u and closes the circuit before described, energizin g the magnet 4, which causes the shut ter 7 to open to admit warm air, and the detent 10 serving to keep the shutter in an open position. If then, on the other hand, the temperature becomes too high, the horizontal extension 12 on the vertical swinging lever s taps the spring 00, which makes contact with the contact-piece w and closes the other cir cuit, by which the magnet 5 is energized, causing the release of the lever 13 and closing the shutter 7 to exclude the hot air from the room.

It will be understood that modification in the arrangements of the shutters may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, in Fig. 7 is shown a steam-pipe 17 with valve 19, and this latter is operated in a similar manner as that described with reference to the shutter 7.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A thermostat comprising a perforated box or housing, a frame suspended therefrom, a thermometer attached to said frame and consisting of a glass body completely closed, bent and expanded in several places to form air-chambers and spheres for mercury, a central rod secured to said frame, an adjustable sleeve on said rod, right-angular arms extending from said sleeve, vertical swinging levers with horizontal extensions trunnioned to supports secured to the box, the upper extremities of the vertical swinging levers adaptted to engage with the right-angular arms of the said sleeve, circuit-closing springs, a circuit for each of said horizontal extensions, a magnet in each circuit, a shutter or valve,

and means connecting said shutter or valve with the armatures of the electromagnets, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A thermostat comprising a perforated housing, a frame suspended from the inside of the top piece thereof, a thermometer secured to said frame and consisting of a glass body completely closed and formed into the cylinders a and b, spheres c and d and connecting-tubes, mercury in said spheres c and d and the tube connecting the same, a weighted rod on said frame, an adjustable sleeve on said rod, right-angular arms on said sleeve, shelves attached to the housing, two vertical swinging levers trunnioned to said shelves and having their upper extremities in touch with the said right-angular arms, contact-springs t and x and contactpieces to and w, in combination with two cir cuits in which electromagnets are included, a valve or shutter and means connecting said shutter with the armatures of the magnets, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a thermostata frame suspended above its center of gravity, a thermometer attached thereto and consisting of a glass body completely closed and formed into cylinders a and b, spheres c and d and connecting-tubes, mercury in said spheres and the tube connecting the same, the cylinders a and 1) adapted to contain air under pressure to bear upon the mercury in the sphere c, which latter is placed lower than the sphere dand the air-cylinders a and b, in orderto increase the sensitivity of the thermometer, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

LUDWIGMORGENSTERN. Witnesses:

H. BEHNE, HERM. PASEL. 

